Grandmaster
by Noonerz455
Summary: Addilyn Voss, a 21 year old UFC trained fighter, is asked by Raiden to help serve in the protection of Earth Realm. Despite her concerns she agrees. Though her skills are great, Raiden seeks for her to learn more from the man of ice known as Sub Zero. MKX Universe/Sub Zero/ OC
1. A New Friend

Beads of sweat ran down Addilyn's face as she stepped out of the training ring. She had been at the gym since 4 A.M, and now sun was seen through the window, peaking over the hills. The electric clock on the wall announced it was 7:01 A.M now.

She had spent the morning working with her trainer, practicing all her cuts and techniques. It was definitely needed. The stress was overwhelming. A lot had happened over the past few weeks. Only a few weeks ago, Addilyn woke up in the middle of the night, only to find that the sky was blood red. It glowed ominously. Everyone in her neighborhood was panicked and running through the streets. Turns out, a "God" by the name of Shinnok had caused the uproar, as he had planned on taking over Earth realm. Outworld was coming in to support his task. With the help of a few Ex-Mortal Kombat contestants, and a new team that included Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, Takeda Takahashi, &amp; Kung Jin, his plan failed. Shinnok had been defeated, but only temporarily. His head had been severed from his body, but being a God, was not killed by this. Instead, he would live the remainder of his life has a head with no control..until he was reunited with his body again that is. Raiden had said "Some fates are worst than death". Raiden had approached Addilyn very suddenly and was very forward from the start. It actually scared the shit out of her. She would never forget her first encounter with the Thunder God.

:2 Weeks Ago:  
Addilyn was getting home from a late night training session, she was conscious of her surroundings. All the scary things that had happened within the first few days had her on edge. She felt as if she was being watched. Putting the key in her door and turning it, she was welcomed by her very dark house. Walking in and quickly shutting and locking the door, she immediately began searching for the lamp next to the door. Finally finding it, she twisted the clicker and the light flickered on. She sighed, relieved to no longer be in the presence of complete darkness. She headed to the other side of the room where another lamp was. She had a couch that was close to the door, which was next to a small table with the first lamp. On the other side of the room was a love seat, where she had another small table that had another lamp. That part of the room was still dark, so she headed over to turn it on. After finding the clicker, she sighed again, and stood up straight, turning around, she froze.

There in front of her, on her love seat, sat a man. He was dressed mostly in white, and appeared to be in his late 30's or early 40's. He was wearing what appeared to be some type of straw hat. He sat with perfect posture and his eyes glowed.

She couldn't move, "What the fucking hell?", she thought in her head.

"Addilyn Voss", the man started.

"He knows my name?", she thought again, "this can't be good".

"I come in peace, do not worry, I have no intentions of causing you any harm. I am only here to ask for your assistance", the man said, standing up with his hands slightly up in front of her in a non violent motion.

"How do you know my name?! And what the hell are you doing in my house?!", she yelled, getting in her fighting stance.

"My name is Raiden, I am the protector of Earth realm, I am sure you have noticed all the changes in your environment lately. I saw how observant you were coming home", he replied.

She raised an eyebrow and held back a laugh, "Protector of Earth realm? Are you fucking kidding me?", she smirked, was this guy insane?

He took a step towards her, causing her to step back, "Do not worry Addilyn. I know this all sounds very peculiar to you right now, but you will see the truth soon".

"What truth? I honestly don't understand what you're talking about", she said, feeling rather confused.

"I am a thunder God, the elder Gods have me protect earth realm, I am here to stop the evil that is trying to corrupt it. I have seen what you can do, you're very strong. Your technique is exquisite, I think you could benefit by joining up with a team and helping protect it from the evil that wishes to ruin it", the man who she now knew as Raiden, replied.

Her eyes widened, this dude belonged in the looney bin, "you honestly expect me to believe that you're some kind of "God".

The man gave her an amused look, "If proof is what you seek, I shall give it to you", he stood back from and put his arms out the side.

Addilyn looked at Raiden, "What the hell is he doing?", she thought, feeling freaked out of what he might do.

Suddenly, the mans eyes began to glow a powerful color of blue. Streaks of what looked like lightening in his eyes, flickered. His hands began to get the same way, he began to chant something that she couldn't understand.

"Oh fuck", she said to herself, "is this really happening?". Bolts began to fly out his hands, he turned to the lamp on the other side of the room, pointing his right hand out, lightening shot out and went straight for the lamp. Before she knew it, her lamp exploded into a million pieces, shooting across the room. Addilyn's face was priceless, her eyes wide in shock, amusement and fear.

"H..ho..ho..how...did you do..that?", she asked, holding back her need to tremble.

Raidens eyes began to calm back down to the normal glow, placing his hands back it his sides, "I will answer those questions later, for now, let me explain what I need of you".

Raiden filled her in on everything. The last Mortal Kombat tournament that happened 25 years ago, all the fighters who died and their souls that were enslaved by a man named Quan Chi. Shao Kahn being taken down, Kotal Kahn becoming the new emperor of Outworld, Cassie Cage killing Shinnok. It was a lot to take in.

"I need your help, I fear that Shinnok's situation won't stay this way for long. I need the help of only the strongest warriors", Raiden said.

Addilyn sighed loudly, "And you want my help to defeat whatever comes next".

"Yes", Raiden replied, " But I want you to be extra ready for this".

Addilyn looked at him, feeling offended, "I am ready, i've been training with the UFC since I was 15, I know what I'm doing". "Yes", Raiden said, "you are great with what you know, but you do not know the power that Outworld and The Netherrealm have. Their power is far beyond your abilities. If this was just a brawl, I would have confidence in your fighting, but that is not how Mortal Kombat works..not anymore".

"Power? Abilities? What exactly am I getting into here?", she asked, beginning to feel worried.

"I want someone who has first hand knowledge of the following to train you. Someone strong, wise, and can teach you the ways you need to know", Raiden replied, bringing a hand to his chin.

Addilyn gave him a questionable look.  
"I have someone in mind for you, Addilyn. That is if you accept my offer", Raiden said.

Addilyn thought for a moment and then nodded "Yes, Lord Raiden. I will help".

"Good", Raiden said, standing up, "I'll give a couple of weeks to prepare yourself. Be ready, you will be heading to Arctika".

Addilyns head shot up, "You mean..Arctika...as in China?". Raiden simply nodded, and put his hand up to the sky, a bolt of lightening shot out and he was gone.

:Back to present time:

The memory stressed her out, yet gave her a purpose. Walking out to her car, she got in and shut the door. She wanted to enjoy her last drive. It probably would be a long time before she would get to have complete free will for a while. The 30 minute drive to her house was going by too fast. Tonight she would be leaving, "I can't believe I agreed to this", she thought. Before she knew it, her house was seen in the distance.  
She need to shower and pack and then hopefully get a nap in before Raiden came. Pulling in her drive way, she pulled to car to a stop and put it in park. She sat there for a long while, she normally would get right out, but she wanted to take in everything in front of her. After a few minutes, she pushed to car door open and dragged herself out. It was time to face her new reality.

:7 hours later:

A knock was heard at the door, taking a deep breath, Addilyn opened it, it was Raiden.  
Big shocker. "I'm surprised you knocked", Addilyn said, raising a brow at him. Raiden simply replied, "I figured I would do something that wouldn't startle you this time around". Addilyn nodded and grabbed her bag. "Are you ready", Raiden asked. "As ready as i'll ever be I suppose", Addilyn replied. Raiden nodded and offered a hand to her, she took it and he pulled her closer. Putting his hand out and above them, she already knew what was coming. Bolts flew out of his hands and within seconds, they disappeared into thin air.

Sorry for how short this one is, the next one should be longer. 


	2. Meeting Sub Zero

As fast as they left, they arrived. Addilyn noticed a dramatic change in the way she felt on the inside and outside. The inside of her felt queasy and her head felt dizzy, while her skin went from feeling warm to feeling intensely cold.

"Cold?", she thought, looking around, "Holy shit". All around her was nothing but snow, inches of thick snow. The wind was blowing hard around them, and snow was continuously falling down. Addilyn's face was freezing, and she was sure her face was completely red.

"It would have been great to have known we were going into a blizzard", Addilyn popped off at Raiden, rolling her eyes in the process.

Raiden glanced over at her, his blank expression not changing, "We must get going, the Lin Kuei are waiting for us"

"The Lin who?", Addilyn asked, a confused look began to take over her face.

Raiden didn't respond to her question and began walking towards the woods that were in the distance in front of them. Addilyn sighed, her loose crop tank top was a horrible idea of an outfit. Wrapping her arms around herself, she began to rub her arms, doing anything to get herself warm. She hated being cold. Looking up, she saw Raiden was already way ahead of her.  
She began running towards him, "Thanks for waiting for me!", she yelled, feeling annoyed.

"You must keep up, Addilyn", Raiden said, "I do not have time for you to fall behind".

"What's the hurry?", she asked.

"We are late", was his only reply.

"You couldn't have transported us to our actual destination then?", Addilyn replied smartly. Much to her dismay, he said nothing back and continued to walk through the forest.

The forest was beautiful. The trees were enormous and the snow laid perfectly among them. The forest also was helping with blocking the wind, so she was grateful to being a little warmer. Where were they going anyways? And why did she get so unlucky to be the one who had to be trained in the freezing arctic weather?

"Why didn't I pack a jacket or at least a hoodie?!", she cursed herself. Her bag, which was extended on a thick strap arcross her torso, began to start feeling heavy. They had been walking for a while. Getting distracted with her thoughts, she began to not pay attention to what was going on around her, causing her to run right smack into Raiden's back, almost falling to the ground. His body was completely stiff and did not move even when she ran into him. It appeared that he had stopped, which was why she ran into him in the first place.

"Woah, sorry man", she apologized, feeling startled.

"We're here", was his simple statment.

Addilyn looked around, but saw nothing but continuous forest. "I don't see anything", she replied, looking around in every direction.

Raiden looked over at her and reached his hand out, touching the nape of her neck, they then zapped away.

Seconds later, they were on flat ground. Addilyn tried to balance herself, almost falling over. She officially hated Raiden's zap transportation. It made her feel sick to her stomach.  
"Maybe a heads up next time you plan on doing that?", she asked, looking up him.

"Ill note that", he responded, looking over.

Addilyn nodded and stood straight up and began taking in her surroundings. The flat ground was covered in stone, with traces of snow in patches around their feet. In front of them was a huge castle that seemed to go on forever. She could see parts of the lit up castle going on all the way over to the mountains around them. The trees around the castle had lanterns hanging from them, lighting up the courtyard. Statues were on the corners of the courtyard, one of them stood out more than the others. There was a staircase that led to the entrance of the castle, to right of it was a huge statue of a man with an angry expression on his face. He was sitting in a crisscross position, with both hands out, fire was blazing out his hands. Next to the statue on each side, was a coffin, the top part of the crypt was cut out, exposing a skeleton dressed in brilliant attire that resembled something like a high priest.

Addilyn cringed, "How lovely", she thought out loud.

"Come", Raiden said, taking another step towards to castle.  
Before she could udder a reply, the doors to the castle opened. A group of what appeared to be men dressed in blue, silver, and black attire walked down the steps towards them. All of them were wearing ninja-like masks that covered up the nose and mouth, except for the man walking in front. The man leading the group of men was wearing no mask and his outfit was different. His color theme was the same, but the top part of his torso was exposed, the blue part of his uniform crossed over his chest in an X form. He was incredibly muscular and fit. His hair was dark and thick, and he had full beard to match. His eyes were a foggy pale blue with almost no pigmentation. Down his right eye, was a red scar, it went from almost the top of his forehead, down to his beard. He was strikingly handsome. As they got closer, Raiden took a step forward towards the leader. The leader stopped in front of him, bringing his arms in front of him, and nodded at the thunder God. Raiden nodded his head in acknowledgement.

The leader then spoke, "Lord Raiden, we have been awaiting your arrival. I hope you ran into no problems on your way here". His voice was deep with only a slight hint of rasp.  
"I ran into an issue on my way picking up the girl. Kotal Kahn has not been too cooperative these past few days", Raiden replied to the man, his voice remaining calm as ever.  
Raiden then turned to Addilyn, moving over so she was in view of the leader. Raiden then turned back to the man, "Sub Zero, this Addilyn Voss, she is an excellent fighter. I have been observing her for a while and I believe she will become one of the best with your help. She's quite the brawler".

The man she assumed was Sub Zero, began to observe her. He eyed her up and down, different expressions crossed his face. Some looks were impressed and some seemed more disapproving. She blushed a deeper shade of red than she was sure she was, her face becoming hotter every second. Hell, at least some part of her body was now warm.

After a few more moments of him observing her, he turned back to Raiden, "She will do just fine. She is in very capable hands here".  
Raiden nodded, "I trust that she is, Kuai Liang. I must be going now. The Elder God's grow restless". The two men full on faced each other, and bowed.

Raiden looked back at Addilyn, "You will be taken care of. You will be taught all you need to know. I expect that the next time I see you, you will already have advanced greatly".

Addilyn began to panick, "Hold up! You're leaving me...here? I thought you were sticking around to watch me in the progress!". She wasn't really comfortable with being left behind with a bunch of strangers. Not that Raiden was less of a stranger, but she knew him better than any of these people.

"I will check in on you throughout your progress, but I cannot stay here. In the mean time, do as your told. You are destined for great things, Addilyn", Raiden finished, turning his up to the sky. He raised his hands and bolt of lightening shot out. Before she had time to object, he was gone.

"Oh boy", she thought, "this is going to be...interesting...". She was brought out of her thoughts by someone touching her shoulder. Looking up, it was the man Raiden had called Sub Zero.

"Addilyn", he said, "Come this way, you seem cold".

She nodded in reply and followed him. The men made way for their leader to walk through, her close behind, and after they passed all the men, they lined up in perfect form, walking back with them. Addilyn felt overwhelmed. She was cold, nervous, and completely unprepared. What had she gotten herself into? They climbed the steps up to the castle and she could feel the warm air from inside radiating on to the front of her body. She held back a moan of happiness, she had never been so happy to be in a warm place.

Walking into the castle, she quickly found that it was brilliantly decorated. Torches lit up the big entry room, the carvings on the wall were precise and beautiful. The ceiling was high and the architecture was very ancient Chinese. It was stunning. There were many big doors and hallways that went through to the other parts of the huge temple.

Sub Zero stopped walking, and turned to his men, "I will see you all on the training grounds within the hour". "Yes Grandmaster", the men all replied.  
They then all bowed to him and went the other way.

Sub Zero turned back to Addilyn, "Come this way, I will show you around", he then held his arm out in the direction he wanted her to walk. She walked slightly passed him and he began to follow.

"This place is beautiful", Addilyn commented, taking in the scenery around her.

Sub Zero nodded in agreement, "Yes, this temple is centuries old. Many Lin Kuei warriors have resided here. It is an honor to be in such a place".

Addilyn then took notice of what the other warriors called him, "Grandmaster...is that what your men call you?", she asked.

Sub Zero replied, "Yes, I am the leader of the Lin Kuei. My men follow my lead and do as I order. I am in charge of making them strong and keeping things peaceful".

"Sounds like a tough gig", she replied, raising a brow. Being a leader of anything sounded like a pain in the ass honestly. She was never one to jump up first and take the lead of anything.

Sub Zero chuckled darkly, "Being the leader of anything is never easy, Addilyn Voss".

Addilyn did her best to control the blush that threatened to form on her face. She loved the way his voice sounded when he said her name. She hated that she was developing a crush on someone she hardly knew. "Why can't I be one of those people who isn't into anyone? Like an asexual or something", she thought in her head.

They continued to walk through hallways and climb up stairs, she already knew she was going to get lost fast in this place.

She noticed out of the corner of her eye that he would glance at her and look her up and down every once in a while. She wondered what was going through his head.  
He then spoke up, "I take it that our mutual friend did not inform you of the conditions you were about endure?".

"Huh?", she replied, confused.

"Your outfit isn't exactly tundra appropriate", he responded, nodding his head towards her outfit.

She blushed a deep shade of red, "Uh...yea...not exactly the same weather here as it is Texas". She had went from summer weather in Texas being 88 degrees, to negative degrees.

The grandmaster then stopped in front of two huge doors, "This will be your room for the time being", he pushed the doors open and held out an arm to show her in.

Walking in, she was amazed at how nice and big the room was. Nothing like what she had at home, it put her old bedroom to shame. The room was about 5 times the size of her old room, and the ceilings were high just like in the entry way of downstairs. There was a queen size poster bed in the corner of the room with black poles around it. The sheets were crisp white and the fancy rug that covered the wood floors matched the bed. A big mirror was hung on the wall on the other side of the room, with a dresser to match. And ice crystal like chandelier hung from the high ceiling.

"Umm, wow...do all your warriors have this nice of a room?", she asked, amazed with what she was seeing. She had honestly expected a small bunker that she would share with several other people.

"Depends on their ranking. Some do and some don't. You however are a guest in this place. I like to treat my welcomed guests well", Sub Zero replied, arms crossed, watching her observe the room. He was amused with her reaction.

"Well, I have to say that I am impressed, Grandmaster", She said leaning against the wall, taking her bag off her shoulder and placing it onto the ground. Her achy shoulder thanked her.

He then began to explain her arrangements, "I have your room set up close to my room. I am the room right down the hallway. I want to make sure that everything is taken care of for you at the time being. It's easier to have you close to me. If you need anything, you can sometimes find me there. If I'm not, find someone else, they will help you".

"Sounds great", Addilyn replied, "Uh...thanks. I know this is inconvenient for you. I appreciate you helping me out, Grandmaster".

"I'll do what I can for you. I won't always be able to be this friendly with you though, so I wouldn't get too used to it", he informed her, his voice sounding more serious than before.

Despite her confusion, she nodded, "Oh..uh yea, I won't".

He then continued, "I am the one who will be training you, so I will have to be tough with you. You will be treated just like any other Lin Kuei warrior. You will wake up early in the morning to train, you will eat breakfast, and you will train more. Then you can have your break. I will have Frost inform you of other things you will have scheduled throughout the day".

"Frost?", she questioned.

He answered, "Yes, Frost is my second in command. She is in charge of our female Lin Kuei, she will also be training you".

"Cool, I suppose I look forward to meeting her as well", Addilyn replied, she wasn't sure if she was happy there were other females, or if that made her more intimidated.

Turning to the door, Sub Zero spoke, "Alright, I have matters to attend to. Dinner will be served within 2 hours, I will have member come get you at that time. You may explore if you like, but do not cause me any trouble".

"Sure thing, Boss", Addilyn responded, crossing her arms, still leaned against the wall.

Sub Zero gave her a slight grunt in response and then disappeared out the door.

"Oh Lord", she thought out loud, "I don't think I'm ready for this".


	3. Grandmaster

Addilyn followed the young Lin Kuei warrior through the long corridors, she was thrilled Sub Zero sent someone to show her the way to the dining hall. The temple was so huge, she would have undoubtedly gotten lost. The young warrior was quiet and didn't seem to have much to say, the quiet and awkward long walk began to make Addilyn incredibly uncomfortable.

"So...uh, been here a long time?", Addilyn asked, desperate to have some form of communication.

The young man stiffened, he seemed like he wasn't expecting a conversation to start, "Yes, I was brought here when I was 7. My parents died when I was much younger and I was passed around from many foster homes. The Lin Kuei saved me from a lonely fate. I've been here ever since and will continue to serve the Grandmaster until I am no longer living".

"Wow", Addilyn thought, "That was quite the response".

Addilyn then spoke up, "Sounds like you've been through a lot. My parents aren't around anymore either. My father was kind of a "rolling stone" if you will, and my mother passed away when I was 15 from brain cancer. That's how I got into fighting. I had a lot of anger built up after my mother passed away. I hated everyone and everything. My uncle was into professional fighting. He's the one who got me into it. He told me that fighting would help me through the rough times. Wisest thing that guy has really ever said".

The young warrior in front of her began to slow down, and once Addilyn caught up to him, he stopped walking completely. He turned to her, and put his arm across his chest, fist lightly clenched, and bowed his head to her. "We have similar fates, my name is Jun", the young man said, raising back up to look at her.

It was at this point that she had gotten a better look at him. He had dark, chocolate brown eyes that were almond shaped, and his brows were thick, dark, and quite arched. The rest of his face was still covered by his ninja mask, but at the top of head where a hood covered his hair, she could see bits of black hair coming out slightly.

Addilyn slightly bowed her head back at the warrior, "Addilyn", she responded.

"It is an honor to meet you, Addilyn", the man she now knew as Jun replied.

He then offered his arm, "Allow me to properly escort you to the dining hall, Addilyn".

"Thanks, man!", Addilyn laughed, pushing her long, Auburn hair to the side, taking his arm.

They continued walking, talking about things they had been through, what they had hoped for the future and laughing occasionally at their stories. After about another 10 minutes of walking, Jun started to slow down. Turning a corner, she began to see other Lin Kuei warrior entering a huge room.

"We're here", Jun said, pushing her forward, "You go in first, the Grandmaster wishes for you to sit by him this evening. I'll show you your seat".

"Oh, he does? Umm...ok", Addilyn replied, feeling nervous again.

Walking into the dining hall, she quickly saw it was huge. There were several long tables that went around the room. Each table had many candles lit, huge chandelier's hung from the ceiling that lit up the room brightly. The tables were low to the ground, and each placement had a pillow like seat. Straight forward, passed all the other tables, was an area that resembled a chancel. It was another table, but fancier and had only a few seating placements. She assumed that the grandmaster sat up there.

Jun placed a hand on the small of her back and walked her over to the fancy table. Going up the few steps, he pointed to a seat that was near the middle of the table. "You'll sit here, the grandmaster should be here any minute", Jun said to her, turning to her and bowing. He then went off to find his own seat among the many other tables.

Addilyn looked at the seat she was shown to, the table was placed horizontally, and the seats were only on one side, looking out to the other tables down below. She felt awkward, she noticed other Lin Kuei warriors staring at her and looking at each other. She rolled her eyes, "they could at least try to be more discreet about it. They are ninja's after all, you would think they could make themselves a little less obvious", she thought to herself.

"Hmmmm", a voice behind her hummed, causing Addilyn to shoot her head over in the direction of the noise. Behind her stood a woman who seemed to be a few inches taller than her. She had very short, frosty blonde hair that was so light it looked like ice, that was styled straight up. Her eyes were an intense sapphire color, and her eyebrows were high and very arched. She had a small button like nose and a natural frown on her lips. Her outfit was a lot like Sub Zero's, except she had black like armor that covered her underneath. She looked really tough...well..mean actually.

"You must be the Addilyn girl I've heard so much about", the woman said, an unimpressed tone in her voice.

"Ehh..yea, that's me. Didn't know I was already so popular", Addilyn replied, trying to hold back any sarcasm.

The woman lightly snickered, her left eyebrow highly raised, "They call me Frost".

"Oh shit", Addilyn thought, "This is the woman Sub Zero talked about?"

Frost took her seat, leaving one sitting space between them.

The woman called Frost began to get a sly smirk on her lips, "Has the Grandmaster informed you that you will be training with me as well?"

"Yup", Addilyn replied, "That he has, and I have a feeling that you plan to train me hard as well".

Frost snickered loudly, "Hard is quite the understatement, love".

Addilyn glanced over at Frost, "Already off to a great start", she thought.

"I see you two have already made your acquaintances", A deep voice behind them said.

Turning around, she saw it was Sub Zero. With him were a few other men, who seemed to also have some sort of authority. Sub Zero took his seat, which was right in between Addilyn and Frost. The four other men, took there seats. Two men sat to the the left of Addilyn, while the other two sat to the right of Frost.

Sub Zero then looked over at Addilyn, "I trust that Jun was helpful to you?", he questioned.

Addilyn nodded, "Yea, he's a pretty cool dude".

"I'm glad you're getting along.", he replied, then turning to Frost, "And I also trust that you were welcoming with our new guest?".

Frost nodded, "Of course, Grandmaster, I would have it no other way".

Addilyn rolled her eyes harshly, she could already see where the relationship with Frost was going.

Sub Zero then turned his attention back to Addilyn, "I suppose you're hungry. I'll have you presented with your dish momentarily".

He then raised his hand, and beckoned at a man standing in the far corner of the room. He nodded towards Sub Zero and disappeared behind double doors.

Sub Zero then motioned towards the men sitting next to Addilyn, "The one next to you, he goes by the name Ming, and the one next to him is Qiang".

He then motioned to the other men by Frost, "And that is Shui and Tai, these are my best warriors. The highest ranking you can be, next to me".

The men, just like Jun, had similar features. The same uniform, only slight differences to show their rankings. They all had dark hair, and brown eyes, except for the man named Ming, who had hazel colored eyes. They simply nodded at her, and wen't back to their conversations.

Sub Zero's attention seemed fully on her, she tried her best to keep herself from getting uncomfortable. She usually was fine under situations when it came to attractive guys, but for some reason it was different with him. He was incredibly intimidating. Especially since his face held a stern, almost emotionless face for the most part. And his eyes held such a cold look, thought in a way they seemed really sad.

The man Sub Zero had nodded at, finally came through the double swinging doors, a few other men with carts followed close behind him. They wheeled over the carts to the table, and at this point Addilyn saw the tons of food that was on the carts. Bowls of rice and noodles, all different kinds of meats, dumplings, sushi, you name it. Addilyn was starving, and her mouth began to water. She had not eaten at all that day, which had proven to be a horrible idea.

The servers began taking the food and placing it on the table. Placing the bowls of rice and noodles in front of each person, and then placing the other foods randomly among the table. It all smelled amazing. The servers then brought over different choices of drinks, which were in metal looking pitchers. The servers then turned to the grandmaster, nodded, and went on there way back to what she assumed was the kitchen. Once she saw everyone else going for the food, she immediately grabbed her chop sticks and began grabbing pieces of meat and sushi and throwing them into her rice bowl. She wasted no time digging in, she was sure she caused a scene among the table, but she could have honestly cared less. She began to stuff her face in the most lady like manner she could. She heard a deep chuckle beside her, coming from none other than the Grandmaster. Looking over with the corner of her eyes, she saw that he was watching her, an amused look on his face. It was at this point that she realized he had been watching her every move, she felt her cheeks get red and her face felt intensely hot.

This only caused him to chuckle again, "I see that you were hungry", he spoke, amusement was very clear in his voice.

She thought her head was going to explode from embarrassment, "Yea...I made the foolish decision to not eat before leaving the house today", she replied, doing her best to keep her cool.

She knew it was no use trying to act like a bad ass right now, he saw right through her. He simply nodded, and picked up his bowl of noodles and began eating. She let a sigh out and relief took over. She was glad that he was focused on something else now. She forced herself to pick up her food again and eat at a normal rate, that way she wouldn't attract attention to herself again.

After a while, Addilyn was completely stuffed. She knew that she had over eaten, and her stomach felt incredibly bloated. She groaned in discomfort, but with a hint of satisfaction. She looked over at Sub Zero, who at this point was discussing something with Shui, Tai, and Frost. Not really wanting to interrupt them, she turned to the man named Ming.

"Uh...it's Ming right?", she asked.

Looking over at her, he lightly smiled and nodded, "Yes, miss Voss. That would be my name".

Addilyn awkwardly laughed, "So, will I get my head cut off if I just get up and go?".

Ming raised his brow at her, amusement played on his face. That seemed to be the only reaction she could get out of these people. " I think that the Grandmaster may let you out of this one for free".

"Cool beans", she replied, standing up. Shaking her head at herself, "Did I really just say "Cool beans?" ", she thought to herself.

She straitened her crop top out, and then quickly went to exit the dining hall. She was exhausted and wanted to get a bath and some sleep. As she walked out, she heard someone call out her name, "Hey, Addilyn!".

Looking over, she saw it was Jun. He was sitting at a table filled with Lin Kuei, a rice bowl in his hand. He had a small smile on the corner of his mouth, and one hand was raised up waving at her. She smiled back and waved, and then continued on out the door.

The walk back to her bedroom felt incredibly long. Besides the fact that these men trained all the time, they could probably stay fit with all the walking around they probably had to do. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she saw the corner that was next to her room. Turning the corner, heading straight to her door, she then felt someone grab her shoulder.

She yelped and turned around quickly, "Son of a ...Oh hey Grandmaster". There next to her, was none other than Sub Zero himself.

He lowered his eyes down to her, "Sorry for startling you, just wanted to make sure you were ok. You left in quite the hurry".

Addilyn laughed, "oh yea, I'm great! Just tired, figured I would head to bed. Besides, you seemed busy. Didn't want to bother you durring big boy talk", she joked.

Sub Zero raised his eyebrow at her, God did he look hot when he did that.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what all you can do", was his response, eyeing her down hard.

Addilyn began to chew on the inside of her cheek lightly, her nervous habit kicking in, "It should be interesting", she said.

"Yes", he replied, "I would like to see you for a private training tomorrow morning".

It was her turn to raise a brow at him now, "Oh? Ok, sounds great".

"5 A.M, I'll have someone come for you and show you to the training grounds. Do not be late. I do not find myself very fond of those who cannot stay on time. My punishments for late students are harsh, even if they are new. I suggest you stay on my good side", he advised.

Damn, this guy really was as serious as he looked. She thought he was intimidating before, but now she was really REALLY intimidated. Yet, this wasn't her first time with a tough trainer. She had spent many years and hours with some of the most intense, scary, crazy trainers. If she could handle that, she could handle anything.

She nodded at him, "Yes, Grandmaster. You can always count on me to be on time and ready to do my best for you".

He slightly squinted his eyes at her, "I trust that you will, but I would like to see it first", he continued. "I will see you in the morning, get some rest. We'll be training hard"

Addilyn laughed and fake saluted him, "Anything you say, Grandmaster".

He nodded and turned, and began walking towards the dining hall again. Addilyn turned and began to head back to her room. Right as she got to her door, she heard him say something. "Oh, and one more thing, Addilyn".

She turned, and looked over to him. He had stopped, his body was slightly turned, and he was looking right at her.

"Yes, Grandmaster?", she asked.

"When we're not on the training grounds, you can just call me Sub Zero. You don't have to be so formal so soon", he said.

Addilyn smiled, "Of course, Sub Zero".

Opening up her door, she went in, and he continued down the hall. "Man", she said aloud to herself, "I really need a hot bath". 


	4. The First Training Session

The morning came way too soon. The 8 hours of sleep she got felt more like 5 minutes. As soon as her head had hit her pillow, she was out. She didn't remember the last time she was able to fall asleep instantly. She had been woken up by Jun, banging on her door to inform her it was time to get up and ready. She groaned as she crawled out of bed. She hoped that the day wouldn't last long. Not that waking up early was anything new to her. She was very used to having to get up at unGodly hours. Today just seemed a lot harder than usual. Though she was sure it was because she was starting a new day, with a new trainer. A very attractive and intimidating trainer.

Stretching, she walked over to her bag that was on the floor. She hadn't bothered unpacking yet, which she now regretted. Finding anything in the overstuffed bag was a pain in the ass. After searching for what she needed for about 2 minutes, she gave in and just dumped everything out onto the floor. She felt relieved when she finally caught site of her training clothes. Grabbing a long sleeved black under armour shirt, black workout leggings, and a pair of blue vans. She normally didn't wear shoes with her training, and she had let it slip her mind to even bring tennis shoes.

"I'm such a damn mess", she sighed loudly, "Already off to a great start this morning". She rolled her eyes and then headed over to the bathroom that was connected to her room.

She then brushed her long, tangled, auburn hair out and pulled it into a high ponytail. After splashing her face with some cold water, she stared at herself in the mirror. She knew bothering with makeup would be a waste of time today. It would all just sweat off anyways. She then began to get a sick feeling in her stomach, she was nervous. This would be the first time Sub Zero would see what she was capable of, she just hoped she didn't screw it up.

"Well...here goes nothing", she said aloud to herself, and turned out of the bathroom.

Grabbing a bottle of water off the night table, which she had previously packed, she headed out the door. As soon as she stepped out into the great hallway, she saw Jun leaning against a wall, eyes shut, and arms crossed tightly.

"Good Morning, Jun", she said.

His eyes fluttered open, a grin came across his face, "Morning, Addilyn".

He used his back to push himself up and off the wall, and walked over to Addilyn.

"The Grandmaster is waiting downstairs on the training grounds, I'll take you down there", he said, offering his arm.

Addilyn took it as they began to walk, "How long has he been down there?".

Jun shrugged, "Not sure, probably a while though. He usually wakes up a lot earlier than everyone else and gets his own training done before the day starts".

"He's very dedicated", Addilyn said.

Jun nodded, "Yes, he really is. But he does have his days off. Sometimes, after he's done, he retreats and doesn't leave his chamber for the rest of the day".

Addilyn laughed, "Ha, yeah, I know if I was in charge, I would be a lazy ass. So kudos to him for actually getting things done around here".

Jun returned the laugh, "Well, lets just be happy you're not the big boss around here".

She smiled, but it didn't last long. It was just then that she remembered what she was heading to, all the sick feelings she had before were coming back.

Jun quickly noticed and frowned, "You okay?".

Addilyn shrugged, "Eh...I guess. Just feeling a bit nervous, I don't want to disappoint him".

"You'll do fine", Jun reassured her, "You must be pretty impressive if Lord Raiden personally picked you himself".

"I suppose so", she replied.

"Aren't you in some type of fighting club?", Jun asked.

She nodded, "Yup, the Ultimate Fighting Championship".

"I think I've heard of that", Jun said, "Isn't that a pretty big deal in your country?".

"Depends on who you ask!", Addilyn answered, laughing. "But I'd say to a good amount of people it is, so yeah..I suppose so".

Jun smiled, "You're gonna do great, I have faith that you will surpass his expectations".

"I hope so", she replied, still feeling disheartened.

"Here we are", Jun said, stopping in front of a big door.

Addilyn looked over at it, and back at Jun, "Is it just behind this door?".

He nodded, "Just go through it, it will take you outside. There is a pathway right out there, follow it, take the first right path you see. There will be a big iron gate up ahead, behind it is one of the training grounds. You will find him there".

Addilyn nodded in response, "Alright...thanks Jun. You've been such a good friend to me. I appreciate all the help".

"Of course", he replied. "I would normally take you there myself, but I have to go get ready. My training starts in about 15 minutes."

"You're going to be late", she joked, "Get going!".

"Yes ma'am", he smirked.

She then turned towards the big door, and went over to open it. She began to to push on it, it was heavy..almost too heavy. Not wanting to look weak in front of Jun though, she pushed hard enough to get it to open to where she could squeeze through it. After she got outside, she turned towards Jun and waved.

He responded by waving back, "Good luck!".

"Thanks", she said, "I need it!".

She began to push the door shut, until it was fully closed and he was out of her sight. Turning around, she saw another big courtyard, and the path Jun mentioned up ahead. She inhaled and exhaled, seeing that it was cold enough to where she could see her breath. It was chilly outside, but the temple blocked the wind. She was grateful for that. She began to walk down the path, taking in the scenery around her. It was beautiful, it was still dark, but the sky held a luminous light that showed off the mountains in the distance. The landscapes in front of her brought a peaceful feeling, it had helped her calm down a lot. Soon, she came to a crossroad in the path. Straight ahead lead to what seemed to be a garden. To the left, it went somewhere she wasn't sure of. She turned right and walked down the path Jun said to take. Not too long after that, she caught sight of the big iron gate. Walking over to it, she pushed it open. It squeaked quietly as she opened it and closed it behind her.

Looking up ahead, she saw Sub Zero. He was sitting in a criss cross position, and he had his hands rested on his knees. He seemed to be meditating. She didn't want to disturb him, but she also didn't want to stand there looking stupid. She decided to quit pondering on what to do and just walked over to him.

As she got closer to him, he spoke up, "Good Morning, Addilyn. You're just in time".

She jumped a little, his deep voice surprising her, "Good Morning, Grandmaster".

He opened up his piercing blue eyes and looked up at her green ones, "I trust that you had no problems finding me".

Addilyn shook her head no, "Not at all, Jun has been awesome. He has been showing me around and helping me out".

Sub Zero nodded, "Good, he is an excellent warrior. I am glad you are both taking a liking to each other. He will set a great example for you".

He began to stand up, and turn towards her. It was now that she realized how much taller he was then her. He was a good foot taller than her.  
"Greaaaaat", she thought to herself, "That's not intimidating at all".

He looked over at her and said, "Now, let us begin our stretches".

"Sounds good", she shortly replied.

They began to do the stretches, some were what she normally did, some of the moves were different. Either way, even now, she was distracted by her thoughts. She was calm on the outside, but on the inside she was a nervous wreck. Would she screw things up? Would she do horribly? Would he want her gone if she did?

"Addilyn", she heard someone say, breaking her out of her thoughts.  
"Hmmm?", was her only reply, realizing that Sub Zero was talking to her.

Sub Zero's eyebrows furrowed, "You're distracted, is there anything you would like to discuss with me?"

She shook her head quickly, "Oh, no. Just mentally preparing myself. I will concentrate on my task now".

He simply nodded at her, and continued on with their stretching routine. After about 15 minutes of loosening up, he stopped and walked over to her.

"Alright, this is what I want you to do", he started, "I want you to show me anything you want to. I want to see what I have to work with and I want to know what you're capable of. I will simply block all of your moves and I will not strike you back."

She nodded, showing that she understood what he wanted.

He then said, "I would also like to mention that you get extra points with me if you are actually able to strike me without me blocking it".

Addilyn laughed, "Hope you don't mind getting your ass kicked then, Grandmaster".

He smirked, "I am hopeful that your skill is better than your trash talk".

Addilyn scoffed, but then laughed, she knew she wasn't the best trash talker. Which was sad, because with her career, she should have been the best at talking shit.

She began to get into postion, putting her right let in front of her and her left behind her. She raised her arms up in front of her, "Lets go then".

Sub Zero got into position himself, raising his arms, waiting for her to perform the first blow.

She began to ponder on what move she should do first, should she hit him in the chest area first? Or use her legs?

After thinking about it much too long, she decided to just go for it. She always did better when she went with the flow anyways. She stood still for a moment, waiting to see if he knew what she was thinking. After a few seconds, she went for it.

Walking up quickly, she raised her arm as if she meant to hit him with her fist. He went to block it and she could have cheered right then and there. She loved using this move. She would trick her opponent into thinking she was going to hit them one way, and when it was too late to block anything else, she would use a different move at the last minute.

As he went to block her fist, she raised her leg, and kicked him in the abdomen straight on. He stumbled back a little and she used this opportunity to do a looping overhand hit with her right hand. As she went in, he moved fast enough to where she merely got his bicep. She growled to herself, annoyed that she didn't get the hit right.

She decided to go in and perform a head kick. She was unsuccessful with hitting him in the head, but she did get him good in the side. He stumbled a bit, grabbing his side. She took advantage of the situation and did a sweep kick, causing him fall over on his side. She jumped on top of him and went in to do a hammer fist.

She raised her fist and went down, aiming for his face. He quickly moved his hands and caught her fist, right before it made contact with his cheek. She raised her left hand and tried to do the same thing on the other side, but he grabbed that fist as well. She tried to move her hands from his, but his grip was too tight. She sat there on top of him, both legs on either side of him, while her butt was rested on his pelvis area. She had to try and hide the blush rushing across her face. She liked her current position, but didn't want it to show. She began to act annoyed with him not letting go, and she thrusted her arms around to get loose. After a minute of fighting, and his face looking amused, she got free and jumped up. Stepping back, she got back into position, waiting for him to stand up.

As he stood up and straightened himself out, he looked over at her, "Very good, Addilyn. I see you have enough skill to at least defend yourself. Now, impress me". He went back to his fighting stance, waiting for her to perform another move.

"That was just a warm up", she smarted off, "Hope you look just as good covered in bruises".

This went on for the 2 hours. It was the most exhilarating 2 hours she remembered having in a long time. She was exhausted, really sweaty, and sore. Sub Zero walked over to her, his skin glistened. He looked so attractive, especially when he was all sweaty.

He patted her back, hard, "That was a remarkable session, Addilyn. I am very pleased. Tomorrow, you will begin learning the moves I wish for you to incorporate into your routine".

"I look forward to it", she replied.

"Good", he responded, "Because it will be much harder than today was. Today was just your warm up. I hope you will be extra ready tomorrow".

"Awesome", she responded sarcastically, feeling too tired to even think about work tomorrow.

"Now", he started, "Go and shower. I will come to get you in an hour for breakfast".

"Alright, Grandmaster. I'll be ready", she answered.

She looked over at him, admiring him secretly, "You look really good when your all sweaty, just so you know". Her eyes widened, did she really just say that out loud?

"Uh, sorry!", she quickly apologized, "I don't know why I said that, I should really watch what I say. I apologize for being unprofessional, Grandmaster".

He smirked, "Our training is over, you need not be so formal, remember?".

"Uh...oh yea...sorry...Sub Zero", she responded, feeling embarrassed. She was sure she was tomato red in the face.

"And Addilyn", he said, leaning in over to her, his face getting very close to hers. "I don't mind, stop apologizing".

Her blood began pumping faster, her heart felt like it was about to explode, he was so close to her face. She hated that he could see everything wrong with her, she was sweaty, red and she was sure she smelled now.

"I should go shower, I feel disgusting", she said, trying to change the subject.

Sub Zero stood back up straight and nodded, "You are dismissed, I will see you within the hour".

"Of course Grand...I mean Sub Zero", she replied.

"Kuai", she heard him say to her.

"Huh?", she asked, feeling confused.

"Just call me Kuai Liang", he said, a small smile on his lips.

She felt privileged, she assumed that this was his real name, and he was allowing her to say it. She was thrilled she was on his good side.

"Alright, thank you, Kuai Liang", she responded, smiling back.

"Of course", he replied, "Now, go on".

"Yes, sir!", she said, now turning to head back to the gate.

Once she got through the gate and out of the Grandmasters sight, she began running down the pathway and to the temple. She didn't want to waste any time, and her adrenaline was going crazy. As soon as she go to the temple, she ran to the door. She threw it opened, and found it was a lot easier to open this time around. She ran through the hallways, and up the stairs. As she came around a corner, she saw Jun again, up against a wall. This time, his eyes were open and he was in what she assumed was a training uniform.

He looked over at at her and said, "I see you survived your first day".

She smiled at him and lightly laughed, "Yeah, I did! It went really well actually. Turns out, I freaked out over nothing".

He smiled back at her, "That's great! I knew you would be excellent. The Grandmaster isn't as scary as he seems. Well...he can be, but you know what I mean".

"Yes, he's very intimidating", she said, "What are you doing?".

"We're taking a break for a moment, so my friend wanted to get something from his room. I'm just waiting on him".

"I see", she replied, "Well, I smell bad, I'll see you later!".

He laughed, "You kind of do".

"Jerk!", she yelled, and hit his arm playfully.

"I'm kidding!", he laughed, "Lets hang out later?".

"Sounds like a plan", she responded, starting to walk down the hall.

"It's a date then", Jun said, waving at her.

She waved back and began to quickly walk to down the hallway. She couldn't wait to get in the shower.

"I really do stink", she said aloud.


	5. Breakfast Time

Addilyn stood under the shower water for a long period of time. The cold water felt amazing against her now clean skin. Nothing could really beat the feeling of a cold shower after a long, sweaty training session. She sighed loudly, not wanting to do anything but go back to sleep. The only thing stopping her was her growling stomach, and of course the fact that the Grandmaster was coming to get her within the next 30 minutes.

She groaned, "I'd better get out and start making myself look somewhat presentable", she thought to herself.

Washing off what was left of the body wash on her, she reached down and slowly turned the knob to turn the water off. Ringing her hair out, she pushed open the glass door and stepped out. The air outside the shower was much colder than she expected, as goosebumps crawled across her skin almost immediately. She grabbed the towel off the rack quickly and wrapped herself up in it, trying to find warmth. She shivered, feeling a lot more awake than she was 15 seconds ago, and began to properly wrap the towel around her body. After grabbing another towel and wrapping it around her drenched hair, she opened up the bathroom door. Stepping back into her bedroom, which was much warmer than she had anticipated. A relieved smile spread across her face, her back relaxing as she welcomed the much more pleasant temperature. She walked over to her dumped out clothes that were still sprawled on the floor.

"I'm going to have to put these away later", she thought, picking up some random pieces and throwing them onto her unmade bed.

She began searching for an outfit, she wasn't too worried about it being fancy. She just simply wanted something comfortable, that way she could come back and pick up her room and get some more sleep in. She settled for some regular black leggings, a tight long sleeve dark blue shirt, and a pair of black slip on Tom's. Heading back to the bathroom, she brushed her long, already half dried hair, scrunching it up a little to give it a little wave. She knew she didn't have much time to do anything else. Putting on a little makeup, she began to wonder how she would figure out time here. They didn't have a clock in her room, and she didn't have her phone with her. She was relying simply on her own judgment on how much time had passed. After finishing her makeup, she took a look at herself in the full body mirror in her room. Feeling satisfied, she decided to wait out in the hallway, feeling it might be faster to get down to breakfast that way. She slowly opened the big door and peeked her head out, no one was in sight. She let out a breath of air, which she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. Stepping out into the giant hallway, she shut the door behind her and began looking both ways. No one was in the hallway.

She began to rub the sides of her temples, "I wonder if I'm too early? I really suck at managing time", she thought.

She noticed the paintings that graced parts of the walls, she took interest and walked over to them. Arms crossed, she observed some of the giant portraits. Most of them seemed really old, showing images of men who seemed to be of great importance. Most of the men in these paintings were dressed in what seemed to be the same thing the corpses in the open caskets out in the courtyard were wearing. What exactly did these men do? Were they Grandmasters as well?

She then noticed that in each picture, they had what seemed to be a medallion on their chest. Each one of them had this similar looking medallion engraved on their chest. It appeared to have a dragon carved in it, and it looked like it was glowing a light blue color.

"Interesting", she thought out loud.

"Yes, it truly is", a voice said behind her, making her jump.

Turning around quickly, she found Sub Zero standing right behind her.

"Holy fu..I mean...you scared the hell out of me, Grandma..I mean Kuai Liang!", she stuttered.

She began to mentally kick herself, "Nice going, Addilyn! Great way to let yourself unravel in front of the Grandmaster!", she thought.

"I'm happy to see you're already taking such an interest in Lin Kuei history", he said, walking past her a little and looking up at the painting in front of them.

Addilyn looked over and her eyes slightly widened, there on the left side of his chest was the same medallion in the paintings.

Sub Zero looked back over at her and took notice of this.

"It is the Dragon Amulet", he informed her, reaching up and lightly touching it with his right hand. "Only the chosen Grandmaster is able to wield it and wear it. It holds great power, such power that someone not strong enough would be consumed by it."

Addilyn observed it with interest, "Is this where you get your freezing ability from?" she asked.

Sub Zero shook his head, "I was born a descendant of the Cyromancers. My freezing ability is a family gift that I have mastered over many years of training. The amulet helps me keep a stronger upright hand. It helps me maintain control and peace among the Lin Kuei".

"Well", Addilyn replied, " Once again, sounds like a tough gig. I'm glad i'm not in your position", she teased.

He offered her a light smirk, "Tough? Yes, but I wouldn't choose another life other than this one". "Now, come", he said, lifting a hand to motion her down the hallway, "I know you must be hungry".

She quickly nodded yes, "Oh, very!", she replied enthusiastically. She could have hopped for joy, she loved food.

His smirk widened, as he walked behind the very enthusiastic Addilyn.

Addilyn almost squealed with happiness when she saw the door to the dining area up ahead. She began to walk faster, but tried to not make it too noticeable.

"He's going to think I'm such an oinker", she thought to herself.

Sub Zero was not far behind her, normally she would have been self conscious about that, but not right now. She was too hungry to be worried about that. As soon as she was at the door, she wasted no time pushing it open. Walking inside, she quickly noticed it was completely empty. No one else was in the room. She had expected everyone to be in there, but all the seats were bare.

"Uh...", she started, feeling confused, "Where is everyone?".

Sub Zero walked in casually beside her, "Training still I'm sure".

Addilyn blinked, "Oh..I had just assumed that we would eat with everyone else".

Sub Zero looked over at her, "You will, eventually. I wanted to take some time to get to know you. It's much easier to do that when you don't have others around".

She could feel her face get hot instantly, she knew she was red, and she didn't have the excuse of working out being the culprit this time. Being alone with him once was intimidating enough. Now she had to actually had to come up with a conversation with him? That scared the shit out of her.

"What's wrong with me?", she wondered, "I've never been like this. SNAP OUT OF IT! You're Addilyn Voss, the UFC fighter that any guy in the world would kill to have".

"Is everything alright, Addilyn?", Sub Zero asked, breaking her out of her mental lecture.

She blinked quickly, "Oh, yeah! Just kind of tired, dazing out I guess".

He nodded in an understanding manner and lifted his hand towards the table they sat at the night before.

"Come", was all he said, before walking in front of her towards the table.

She followed closely behind him, desperate to find something to talk about.

He took his seat, and she slowly sat down beside him.

She fake coughed a little and turned to look at him, "So, thank you for taking the time this morning to train with me. I'm sure you have other things you need to be doing, so I appreciate it".

He lifted his right brow slightly in amusement, "I am thoroughly impressed with you. You surpassed my expectations, it was an honor training with you".

Addilyn had to mentally kick herself again to keep herself from blushing. It was beginning to become embarrassing.

The same servers as the night before came out of the swinging doors, pushing out another big cart with food.

Addilyn bit her lip, "Can't believe i'm getting this aroused over food", she thought to herself.

Sub Zero moved his eyes over to her, noticing this. He couldn't help but feel attracted to the way she looked when she did that.

"You should probably stop that", he said to her.

"Huh", she asked in confusion, breaking her bore with the food cart.

Just as she asked, the servers stood in front of them and began to place the food down in front of them. She could have drooled at the sight of it. All kinds of noodle bowls, Dim Sum, Baozi and congee sat in front of her. The servers then proceeded to bow, and head back to the kitchen. By this time, the words Sub Zero said had faded away. She patiently waited for him to start eating first, she didn't want to be the first to start oinking out. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and watched him grab the food he wanted and place it in the noodle bowl. After what seemed like hours, he began to eat. She then slowly began to do the same, eating as politely as she could.

"There is no need for mannerisms right now, Addilyn", He said, looking over at her slightly, bowl in hand.

She awkwardly looked over at him, not sure of what to do. Once he looked back at his food, she quickly began to eat a little faster. Trying to do so without being noticed was hard though, she was a loud slurper.

It didn't take long before she felt completely full. She knew she had over eaten again, which she hated doing. She knew how bad that was for her stomach, and it was strictly forbidden with her intense diet.

"My abs are probably really pissed at me right now", she said out loud.

Sub Zero looked over at her, "Ate too much, huh?".

"Waaaaaay too much. My trainer would kick my ass if he could see me now", she said. She shivered at the thought, he'd be pissed.

"Well", Sub Zero started, "I'd sure hate to see that physic of yours go to waste".

She laughed, "Yeah, me too. I come from a family of fat asses. Would sure hate to surpass the family tradition".

He chuckled deeply, "You're quite amusing. It's nice having someone around that doesn't take everything too seriously".

"Ha!", she laughed, "I'm surprised to hear you of all people say that".

Sub Zero gave her a strange look, "And why do you say that?".

Addilyn shrugged, "I don't know, you are the Grandmaster. Most people with your responsibilities are much more serious. I remember when I first started training with my uncle. He had this guy that trained him, that also trained me. The guy was a total dick. I swear, he had something shoved way up his ass. Everything was so serious with him. He once made me run 6 miles for cracking a joke at him. Which wouldn't be a big deal now, but since I was out of shape then...oh boy...that was a nightmare".

He listened and looked at her with heavy interest, "Sounds like he was good at what he did".

"Yeah", she responded, "I guess he was. He's who I have to thank for getting me where I am now".

She yawned and began to stretch, she was still exhausted. And now that she was full, it only made her more drowsy.

"Have you began unpacking yet?", he asked.

She shook her head no, "No, I'm kind of a slacker with those kind of things. I plan on doing that as soon as I get back to my room".

He nodded and began to stand up, "I shall take you back then", he said, offering her his hand.

She took it and he lifted her up. She couldn't help but notice the good grip he had. She had it bad for guys who gave a firm hand shake. Once she was pulled up, she detected his scent. He smelled really good, though she was positive he didn't wear cologne.

"God", she thought, "This guy is the epitome of a sex symbol".

He looked down at her, letting her hand go, and turned to start walking out of the dining hall. She stood there for a moment, taking the sight of him in.

She sighed, "Man, I can't believe i'm attracted to the Grandmaster. This won't end good", she thought.

Realizing he was already half way across the room, she ran to catch up with him.

Once they got to her door, she had expected him to leave her. Yet, once he pushed her door open and gestured her in, he followed behind her. She heard him close the door behind him, she turned to look at him and he began to walk over to her bed. He sat on the end of her bed and crossed his leg over in a "man sitting position", where his foot and ankle were rested on his knee.

"Well don't you look casual", she joked, walking over to the bed.

She began picking up pieces of clothing and folding them to be put away.

"Just trying to figure something out about you", was all he said, looking back at her.

She gave him another confused look, "What do you mean?".

He smirked, "All in good time, my dear".

She raised her eyebrow at him, and went back to folding.

"For example", he said, "You do that a lot".

"Do what a lot?", she asked.

"Cocking your eyebrows, as well as rolling your eyes. You also chew on your lip, I take it that it is a nervous coping mechanism", he pointed out.

She stopped what she was doing and felt her face get hot again, "You've noticed all that, huh? Already?", she nervously laughed.

"Mhmmm", he hummed deeply.

"Sorry", she said, trying to concentrate on her clothes. "I'll work on it".

The Grandmaster shook his head, "No, do not change yourself to appease me. I have just simply taken note of your habits. Surely you're aware of them".

She laughed, the only thing she was aware of was the fact that possibly the hottest guy she had ever seen was sitting on her bed.

"This bed is incredibly comfortable", she mentioned, "It's much better than the one I have at home. I'm impressed. I would've expected it to be quite the opposite".

"Yes", he replied, "I believe that warriors deserve to sleep just as well as anyone. I'm sure you will make good use of it".

"I'd like to make good use of it in other ways", she thought, looking at him.

His eyebrows raised, "That was quite an interesting look", he pointed out.

"What look?", she asked, acting dumb.

He stared at her for a moment, before slightly shaking his head, "Never mind".

He then stood up, and grabbed a pile of folded clothes and walked over to the giant dresser, "Do you want these in any particular place?".

She looked over, "Nah, i'll work with wherever you put it".

He nodded and opened up a middle drawer and placed them in. He then walked over to the door, "I have some work I need to attend to. If you need me, I'll be in my office. One of the men can show you where it is".

She acknowledged him with a small nod, "Alright, thank you, Kuai".

"Of course", he responded, turning his back and walking out the door.

She sighed with relief, she hoped she would get better at talking with him. There was one thing she knew though, he must have seen the look of pure lust written in her eyes. Her "interesting look" must have been obvious, his eyes told her that much.

She rubbed her face, "Man, "I'm such an idiot", she said out loud.

Putting up the rest of her clothes and putting some of her things away, she felt satisfied.

Taking one last look in her bag, she saw something gold shining at the bottom of the bag. Reaching in, she pulled it out. She smiled, it was her rose gold watch, "Oh my God! I did bring it!", she said happily.

Walking over to the night stand and kissed the watch, "You just saved my life", she said to it, placing it down on her night stand.

Turning the light off in her room, she jumped in the bed.

"Can't believe I just got so happy over a watch", she thought to herself.

Laying her head down, she began to think of what life would be like now. Would she ever become great like Raiden said? Would she get over her new found crush? Or would she end up getting him?

She laughed, "Yeah right. He's way too hot for me".

Her thoughts were cut short by sleep taking over, before long she was completely out.

Sorry for the long delay, i've been insanely busy. Btw, have I mentioned that I suck at ending these chapters? 


	6. Exposed

Addilyn walked down the corridor, along with Jun and Reizo. Jun had introduced his best friend to the new member of the Lin Kuei, who had taken to her almost immediately. She walked in between the two as they discussed Lin Kuei politics and things she found herself not very interested in.

"I'm telling you, Ziou says that the Kannon isn't fit for this", Reizo went on.

Jun shook his head, "Ziou is an idiot. He asked me what a crab apple was the other day. You're really going to buy into his nonsense?".

Reizo rolled his eyes, "He may be an idiot, but he can make an interesting point".

Addilyn sighed, annoyed with the conversation. They had been having the same argument for well over a half hour. She began to walk a little faster, crossing her arms across her chest, trying to focus on something other than the bickering going on around her. Her mind could only slip back and fourth between two things, the annoying guys behind her and the grandmaster. She groaned with irritation, she hated being so smitten. She felt like a school girl with a crush, she wasn't used to feeling like this. It was frustrating to her.

"I think you pissed her off", she heard Reizo comment.

"I pissed her off!? You're the one who won't keep your mouth shut for more than a few seconds", snarled Jun.

Addilyn rubbed her face in distress and stopped walking. Turning towards them, she gave them a fake smile.

"C'mon guys", she pleaded, "I'm fine, I just want to enjoy the rest of the day off".

Reizo smirked, "What have you been thinking about?", he questioned.

Addilyn gave him a quizzical look and shrugged, " Nothing really. Just wishing you both would shut up to be honest".

Reizo's smirk only got wider, as Jun began to smile a long with him.

"What?", she asked, raising her brow at them questionably.

Jun and Reizo turned to look at each other, a mischievous smile on both of their faces. They turned back towards her, the look on their faces never leaving.

"Oh, nothing", Reizo said.

Addilyn rolled her eyes, "Whatever", she commented, turning to walk farther down the hall.

The boys continued to follow her down the hall, only speaking in a lower tone now. She grew suspicious, but was in no mood to play a long with their game, so she ignored them and kept walking. Coming to a corner, she went around and found herself running right into someone, bumping heads.

"Shit!", Addilyn yelled out, feeling startled, and a new head ache forming.

Rubbing her head, she quickly recovered and began apologizing to the random figure she collided into.

"Damn, I'm sorry! I should pay more attention to where I'm going!", she exclaimed.

Looking in front of her directly, to her surprise, was another woman about her age. She wasn't dressed in servant attire, she was wearing what appeared to be a Lin Kuei uniform, only more feminine. It looked almost exactly like Frost's outfit. The girl in front of her had her head slightly down, with one hand rested on her waist, while the other massaged the front of her forehead. She looked up slowly, a glare in chocolate brown eyes. Her eyes went from agitated to confused. Her hand that was rested on her head, slowly fell down as she observed the new girl she had never seen before. Her black hair was pulled up tightly in a bun, but a few hairs had fallen free and were stuck to her wet face. It was clear that she had just finished training.

The woman cocked an eyebrow at Addilyn, "Who are you?", she asked, in a demanding tone.

Before Addilyn could respond, Jun and Reizo walked casually around the corner, still discussing what "Kannon" had said. They stopped right in their tracks when they saw the new scene in front of them. The woman that stood in front of Addilyn looked passed her shoulder at the two men standing behind her.

Jun took a step forward, "Hey Hana, everything alright?", he asked, concern written in his voice.

The woman named Hana, narrowed her eyes at him, "Is this one of your special friends, Jun?", she asked.

Addilyn let out a loud laugh, causing them all to snap their heads in her directiion. She found the idea of being one of Jun's "friends with benefits" hilarious.

"Sorry", Addilyn apologized, "It appears we got off on the wrong foot already. I'm Addilyn, Raiden sent me here to train with the grandmaster. And no, I am not Jun's fuck buddy", she introduced, offering her hand out to Hana.

Hana's face went from a smug look, to an amused one. Cracking a side smile, she took Addilyn's hand and lightly shook it.

"I'm Hana", she replied, bowing her head at Addilyn. "I had heard a while ago that Raiden would be bringing back a new warrior, just wasn't expecting it to be someone who looked like you", Hana explained.

"Understandable", Addilyn responded, "I'm sure running into some random girl in your territory isn't something you had expected".

Addilyn felt a little confused by the girl, she had not been aware of any other female Lin Kuei besides Frost.

"I thought Frost was the only female Lin Kuei", Addilyn commented.

"There are a whole bunch of us", Hana said.

"Yeah", Jun mentioned, "Frost is chief among the female warriors".

Addilyn gave him a puzzled look, "Really? I'm surprised Sub-zero didn't mention this to me".

Reizo walked up to them, stretching his arms out and giving a lazy yawn "Eh..I'm sure he would have. I think he didn't want to scare you away with the idea of having to train with a bunch of other women".

Addilyn gave him a strange look, "Yeah, maybe, but I'm not a catty person. Don't see why they would leave that part out".

Jun shrugged, "He probably just forgot to mention it to you. The grandmaster isn't one to hide things".

Reizo and Hana nodded in agreement. Just as Addilyn was about to speak up again, another Lin Kuei came around the corner. He walked passed Hana and over to Addilyn, he seemed to be in a hurry.

"The grandmaster has requested to speak with you", the warrior said.

Addilyn studied his features, trying to see if she recognized the man behind the mask. She still didn't really know anyone's names yet. Even Jun said that after the long years of service with the Lin Kuei, he still didn't know everyone well.

"Alright, where is he?", Addilyn asked.

"I will take you to him", the warrior responded.

Addilyn bit her lip, and looked over at Jun, "Umm, ok. I guess I'll see you around, Jun".

Jun seemed confused by the situation, but nodded, "I'll come by your room later".

Addilyn acknowledged him with a simple nod and looked over at Hana, "It was nice to meet you".

Hana smiled, "You too, good luck!".

They all started walking separate ways, as Addilyn followed the Lin Kuei warrior down another corridor.

The warrior she later found out was named Kai, took her to a giant room that looked a lot like a foyer. It led to a giant set of stairs that were lit up by pits with fire, engraved with fancy symbols. Golden dragon statues were based at the foot of the stairs. She followed him up the very large staircase that seemed to go on for forever. Despite her fitness levels, she felt herself start to breath heavy after the tenth step. Trying her best to keep up with Kai, since he was practically sprinting up the stairs. Getting closer to the top, she began to try to control her breathing, not wanting to be gasping for air when she reached the top. Climbing the last step, she could have leaped for joy. They stepped up into a giant space. There were large banners hanging, a long with many other torches that lit up the room. In the center of the room, she saw the grandmaster sitting on what appeared to be a throne made of ice. Behind his throne was the giant symbol she saw on the grandmasters medallion. He sat in his confident posture, awaiting them to approach. As they stepped in front of him, the Lin Kuei warrior bowed in front of him. Addilyn stood there, wanting to know what she had been called for. Kai looked over at her, waiting for her to bow as well.

Addilyn stared back at Kai, "Oh..sorry".  
She went on to bow, but only for a second, looking back up.

"Why have you called me?", she questioned.

Sub-zero looked over at Kai, "You may head back to your duties", he told Kai.

Kai responded, "Yes, Grandmaster", and gave a final bow before turning and running down the stairs.

Sub-zero rested his gaze on Addilyn, "How are you getting along?".

Addilyn shifted, "In the whole week that I have been here, I'd say i'm doing ok. Haven't gotten much training in with anyone else though".

Sub-zero lifted his hand to his chin, "Yes, I know. I felt you may need time to adjust to your new surroundings".

"Always considering my feelings", she joked, "How very gentlemanly of you".

Sub-zero quirked his eyes at her, "You're a guest, I expect you to be treated as nothing less".

Addilyn gave him a soft smile, not sure on how she wanted to respond. Sub-zero then stood up from his ice throne and walked over to her.

"I called you down here because we may have troubles in the future that I want your help with", Sub-zero informed her.

Addilyn gave him a fretful look, "Everything alright?".

He looked at her with a somber face, "I received word from General Blade that a number of Quan Chi's revenants were freed".

Still feeling confused, she asked "So what does that mean for us?".

He had a hopeful gleam in his eyes, "My friend was one of those revenants. I am told that Smoke may have been one of them".

Addilyn nodded in understandment, getting the situation. "What would you like me to do?", she asked.

"A lot of things are being stirred up now", he said, "Meaning that this may cause a rebellion. Our relationship with Outworld has only become more distorted over time. Raiden believes that Earthrealm may be in danger again. I need you to be ready if it is".

She shook her head, "Okay, yeah. I'll be prepared for anything".

"Good", Sub-zero responded, "Mr. Cage and his team will be here in the next week. I will have you train with them as well".

Addilyn placed both hands on her hips, "May I ask you something, Grandmaster?".

His face furrowed, as he looked over at her "What is it?".

She bit her lip, feeling nervous about questioning him, "Why haven't you been training me with Frost and the other female Lin Kuei?".

He gave her a surprised look, his eyes only showed a hint of revelation. "You met a female Lin Kuei, I see", was his only response.

"Yes", she replied, "Hana, I believe".

He stroked his chin, and he began to walk around her, "Frost took the other female Lin Kuei to train out in the mountains. I thought it might be easier to introduce you when they had returned. Besides, I heard you and Frost did not fare well. I thought I was doing you a service by not training you with her".

Addilyn couldn't argue with that statement, the last thing she ever wanted was to train with Frost. She was slightly intimidated by female cryomancer. She felt a bit of gratitude towards the grandmaster, she was happy to see that he cared about making her comfortable.

"Hana is a formidable warrior, she would be good make an alliance with", Sub-zero suggested.

Addilyn laughed, "We had quite the introduction, I like her though".

Sub-zero didn't respond, but took another step towards her. He was close enough to where she couldn't raise her elbow without hitting him. She felt her face get hot, and she tried to control it from showing.

"You seem nervous", he commented, looking down at her with an attentive look.

"You're intimidating to me", she replied bluntly.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me", he commented.

He reached a hand out and touched her shoulder, causing her to almost jerk in surprise. He rested it there until he felt she was more relaxed, and proceeded to take his other hand and place it on her other shoulder. Addilyn stayed still and tried to control her rapid breathing. What was he doing? He gave her a look that she couldn't read, which only made her more nervous. He began to rub his thumbs over her sensitive collar bones, causing her to shudder.

"I want you to calm yourself, Voss", he commanded softly.

She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to do as he told her.

"Grandmaster", she started, "What are you doing?".

He took another step forward, the tips of their shoes were now touching. He was now hovering over her and looking straight down at her.

"I want you to come to me whenever you need me. I don't want you to be afraid. I need you to be ok around me".

Addilyn chewed on her lower lip, "I will, Grandmaster. You just have a powerful presence. I am sure I am not the only one who feels that way".

He started to let his hands lightly release her shoulders, and run down her arms with the back of his fingers, causing goose bumps to form all over body. She shivered, and looked down, feeling embarrassed. She felt his big hand push up on her chin and lift her head up to meet his very light eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to hide the fact that her heart was racing. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the doors down the stairs opening loudly. He let go of her chin and sat up straight and looked over at the stairs. Moments later, a very annoyed Frost came up to the top.

"We must talk, Grandmaster", she demanded.

Her icy cool eyes shot over in Addilyn's direction, her glare was venomous.

"Alone", Frost added, as if to object Addilyn from staying.

Addilyn glared back at Frost, she was already sick of her shit and this was only their second time meeting.

Sub-zero looked over at Frost and back at Addilyn, "We will finish this talk later", he told her.

Addilyn nodded, and quickly turned on her heels and walked over to the stairs. Frost watched her every move and shot daggers with her eyes as Addilyn walked by. Addilyn averted her eyes, and focused on the open doors downstairs. Trying to also concentrate on not tumbling down the narrow staircase. Reaching the bottom, she power walked out of the room, and down the hallways. Once she was a safe distance away, she slowed down and let her heart reach a normal pace again. Placing her hand on her chest, she slowly breathed in and out. Walking back to her room, she replayed what had just happened over and over in her head.

"What was that all about?", she wondered, "That was definitely not a normal pep talk".

She walked through her bedroom doors and shut them behind her, leaning against them and crossing her arms over chest.

"What the hell even just happened?"

She threw herself onto the bed, feeling like a giddy 16 year old.

"This might hurt", she thought to herself.

A knock at the door caused Addilyn to sit straight up, rubbing her groggy eyes. She dosed off, which she often did if she laid down for too long.

"That must be Jun", she thought.

He had mentioned earlier that he would come by, right before she had been dragged off to speak with Sub-zero.

She yawned and jumped out of the bed. Her black cardigan's top three buttons were undone, exposing her black bra slightly. She didn't care in the least bit, she was comfy and tired and had no need for decency with Jun. She allowed it to slide open barely, as she strolled over to the door.

"About time!", she yelled to the person on the other side.

Grabbing the door knob, she quickly opened the door. Looking out, she almost jumped out of her skin. She grabbed the top of her cardigan and wrapped it over her moderately exposed chest. She had expected to see Jun on the other side, but she didn't find just a Lin Kuei warrior outside her door.

There in her door way, stood a surprised and intimidating Sub-zero. 


End file.
